Systems and methods herein generally relate to magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) systems, and more particularly to devices and methods that optimize ink usage in MICR printing by controlling ink droplet size to maintain a selected magnetic strength of the printed ink.
Magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) systems are generally used for documents that need to be secured, such as checks, negotiable instruments, etc. MICR systems print using ink that has magnetic particles therein. This allows the printed items to be sensed magnetically, as well as optically, for additional security.
MICR characters printed with an aqueous MICR ink on different types of media produce different levels of magnetic strength due to the ink absorbance into the media. Non-treated media absorbs and disperses the MICR ink in the media fibers, resulting in a lower strength magnetic signal. Ink jet treated media holds the MICR ink on the surface prior to drying, thus concentrating the ink on the surface, and producing a higher magnetic strength.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has a committee that develops all MICR printing standards. The ANSI committee has mandated precise requirements for MICR fonts, toner signal strength, MICR registration, toner adhesion, and for paper grain and moisture content. There are two published standards for MICR: the first covers printing specifications for MICR (ABA 092200) and the second covers printing placement and locations (ABA 092700). These standards that can be ordered from the American Bankers Association (ABA) in Washington, D.C.
ANCS (American National Check Standards) for MICR characters specify different minimum magnetic strengths for different banking markets. In one example, US banks require a minimum 50% magnetic strength value (which is a relative measure) compared to minimum of 80% for Canadian and European markets.
Note that the terms “drop” and “droplet” of ink are used interchangeably herein, and both terms mean the limited quantity of ink that is released by an inkjet, each time the ink jet receives a pulse signal to eject ink. Printers jetting a single size MICR ink drop must jet a sufficient volume of ink to achieve the minimum specified magnetic strengths for non-treated media. Using the same drop size to meet the minimum magnetic strength for the most demanding banking market does not allow the customer to optimize their MICR ink usage, or ink run costs (e.g., for printing checks on treated media, and in less demanding markets).